Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Snap using an account it created when it was 13 years old.

      Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against Snap regarding Snapchat. The case is based on a 13-year-old account that was created on a new iPhone by an investigator from the attorney general's office prior to the lawsuit being filed. The evidence that this account could uncover is at the heart of the matter.

      Attorney General David Sunday submitted the complaint on August 25 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, which consists of three counts under the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. Miranda Nazzaro reported on the filing for The Hill, and the complaint is available to the public. Snap asserts that the claims misrepresent its platform fundamentally.

      The first count addresses the age rating. When Snap lists Snapchat in Apple’s App Store, it responds to a set of questions from Apple. These answers lead to a 13+ rating, an increase from 12+. The description also states that the app features only infrequent use of profanity and crude humor, sexual content or nudity, references to drugs and alcohol, and mature themes.

      This same process gives Snapchat a "Teen" (T) rating in the Google Play and Microsoft stores, which Pennsylvania claims is misleading. The complaint details what the investigator's account discovered in each of Apple’s categories, providing full quotes of examples. These include videos of young men handling cannabis and a man consuming alcohol on camera. One caption uses slang associated with opioids and suggests the user is 15 years old, while another implies he is 14.

      Regarding sexual content, the complaint mentions paid advertisements for a streaming app containing explicit clips, along with videos created by users. The explicit language is not reproduced in this summary.

      Four paragraphs of the filing are redacted. The publicly filed version is labeled Public Redacted, with four numbered paragraphs left blank: 56, 57, 61, and 68. All four are found within the content sections, with two following the drug reference examples and two following the sexual content examples, where the complaint would typically outline what the company knew internally.

      The second count claims Snap did not reveal that Snapchat is addictive, while the third asserts that the design is unfair regardless of what Snap disclosed. The features mentioned include ephemeral content, infinite scroll, push notifications, autoplay, Snapscores, Snapstreaks, and Charms. The complaint argues that disappearing content encourages users to return for fear of missing out. Push notifications can occur at all hours.

      Snapstreaks track consecutive days that two users have exchanged Snaps, with the streak resetting after 24 hours of inactivity. Snap offers a service for a one-time fee to restore a lost streak. “We argue this streak feature places a tangible value on friendships and affects a child’s self-esteem,” Sunday stated at a press conference.

      A specific feature mentioned is the Friend Solar System, described in the complaint as “perhaps Snapchat’s most extreme method of user manipulation.” This feature is available with a paid Snapchat+ subscription, allowing subscribers to see a Best Friends badge on friendship profiles. This indicates that a person is among the top eight with whom they Snap and chat. Tapping the badge reveals which planet the user occupies in that person's solar system.

      The complaint explains the implications of this feature, as it allows a young person to gauge their importance to a friend based on their status in the solar system. For example, one might be Mercury in another's system while being perceived as Jupiter or Neptune.

      What Pennsylvania seeks in the lawsuit is consistent across each count. The state requests a declaration that Snap violated the law, temporary and permanent injunctions, and civil penalties for willful infractions. It also seeks reimbursement for costs, including expert witness fees and interest, without specifying a damages amount. Jonathan Burns, the senior deputy attorney general in charge of the Technology and Privacy Protection Unit, filed the complaint, which estimates Snap’s North American revenue exceeds $5.3 billion in 2024 and the company’s total value surpasses $12 billion. It notes that Snap has millions of users in Pennsylvania, including tens of thousands under the age of 16, and highlights that Snap compensates some Pennsylvania users for their posted content.

      In response, a Snap spokesperson stated, “The allegations against Snap fundamentally misrepresent our platform and our approach to teen safety. Snapchat was designed differently from the beginning: it opens to a camera, not a feed of content, and was built to promote self-expression and authentic connections with friends.” The company expressed disappointment that the attorney general chose litigation instead of collaboration and noted a 6.75% drop in Snap shares on Tuesday.

      Earlier in the month, Sunday filed a similar case against TikTok based on the same statute and reasoning. Meanwhile, Meta reached a settlement with 29 states on Wednesday for up to $16.68 billion during trial, agreeing to set daily limits and nighttime restrictions for teenagers, pending similar compliance from TikTok and YouTube, while withholding $5.3 billion until that occurs. The Ninth